Vegas Golden Knights

Last season: 45-29-8, lost in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

COACH: Bruce Cassidy (388-206-9-70 over 11 seasons with 3 teams, 1 Stanley Cup title)

SEASON OPENER: October 9 vs. Colorado.

DEPARTURE: F Jonathan Marchessault, F Chandler Stephenson, F William Carrier.

ADDITIONS: F Victor Olofsson, F Tanner Pearson, G Ilya Samsonov.

GOALERS: Adin Hill (35-19-12-2, 2.71 GAA, .909 save percentage) and Samsonov (40-23-7-8, 3.13 GAA, .890).

BETMGM STANLEY CUP ODDS: 16-1.

What to expect

It’s the season of change, with six players leaving last season’s team, including five who were part of the 2023 Stanley Cup championship club. Marchessault, the heart and soul of the locker room, was the biggest name to leave , heading to the Nashville Predators. His team-leading 42 goals will be difficult to replace, but with players like Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and William Karlsson back, the Golden Knights should remain at least a playoff contender. Whether Vegas is a true Cup contender may be a bit complicated, but probably no team would want to face an experienced and proven Knights team in an elimination game.

Strengths and weaknesses

The good: Vegas is deep on defense, and Cassidy’s style of forcing the play onto the boards should combine with blue-liners like Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin to keep the Golden Knights in almost every game. Shea Theodore is a great two-way player whose 37 assists were tied for the team lead. Even with some key losses, the Golden Knights remain a dangerous offensive team with the three top scorers returning after Marchessault. If Tomas Hertl returns to his San Jose Sharks form, he would provide a huge boost and take the pressure off the other goal scorers. And when Hill is in goal, he’s as good as anyone in the NHL.

The not-so-good: It’s hard to imagine that losing players like Marchessault and Stephenson won’t have some impact. Is there another goalscorer with 42 goals on the roster? Probably not. Captain Mark Stone is a tough forward who can carry the team on certain nights, but whether he can stay healthy is a major concern. Stone missed significant time each of the past two seasons, and he was clearly not at full strength last year when he returned in time for the playoffs. Speaking of health: Hill has not shown that he can survive an entire season. He probably wasn’t close to 100% when he struggled last season.

Player to watch

With Marchessault gone and Stone’s health almost always in question, all eyes will be on Eichel. Eichel had his own injury problems and missed 19 games last season, but he was still just a point behind Marchessault with 68 points for a total of 31 goals and 37 assists. No other Knights player is as much of a magician as Eichel, often weaving the puck through traffic to get a quality shot on goal or make a precise pass to a teammate who looks even better. He has two years left on his contract, which pays $10 million per year, so the soon-to-be-28-year-old has plenty of incentive to embark on what should be his best career.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL